


Ambition & Affection

by throwdragonsss



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Angst, Chariox tension, Croix isn’t a creep in this fic 💖, Crushes, F/F, Fluff, If you watch new age Magic it’ll really make sense, New Age Magic, Not Canon Compliant, One sided, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, but still, which you most likely have
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-24 19:55:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30077514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/throwdragonsss/pseuds/throwdragonsss
Summary: “Do you think you can maybe meet me in the main field at seven?” There’s thunder in her chest and she’s nervously fidgeting with her fingers but she thinks she’s doing a pretty good job at hiding it, despite the fact that her cheeks feel like they’re stinging.And when Croix’s back is turned when she’s far away from Akko, she didn’t try to help but chuckle at how insanely easy it was to gain Akko’s trust...Or,There’s a new Professor at Luna Nova. She’s up to no good, but Akko immediately gets a crush on her and she’s too blind to see that she’s being used.
Relationships: Atsuko "Akko" Kagari/Croix Meridies
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

Akko had heard the rumors of Luna Nova getting a new teacher by Lotte one day, but she dismisses it easily and doesn’t think of it much at all after that. 

She wasn’t too excited. It was probably just another old prune to teach another lame class that only people like Diana would be attending. 

But on one of the days that the strike of the faeries was going on, it ended abruptly, yet peacefully by a charmingly mysterious woman. 

The first time she had ever been grateful for her was when the faeries decided to place giant glass isolators around the stone to show how serious they were about wanting more of the magical energy from the school’s main source of magic: the Sorcerer's Stone.

She, her friends, and almost all of the professors and the headmistress were in the vicinity of the Sorcerer’s Stone tower when suddenly, one of the isolators got blown out of the faeries' hands and almost fell on top of several students, including Akko. Panic ensued and everyone rushed to try and get out of the way of the rapidly falling, heavy object that could do more than break a few bones out of the sky. That’s when several, strange flying roomba-like machines stop the isolator from causing any damage. 

And as it turns out, the roombas belong to the new teacher,  _ Croix Meridies. _

And after all of it, the week drones on and continues like a normal one. With the exception of the strike still going on, of course. And as far as anyone in the academy was concerned, it wasn’t going to be ending anytime soon. Which would have been fine if the situation hadn’t gotten worse. 

The faeries were furious. They  _ refused _ to provide heat or warm showers, they  _ refused _ to power the technology that they normally used during their lessons, and they  _ refused  _ to do anything that was part of the daily, basic service that they agreed to all those years ago. 

They were finally fed up with their ten percent of energy from the stone that Luna Nova begrudgingly gave them. 

This ultimately led to the public service announcement that they would have to memorize their lessons from a  _ textbook.  _ Akko stares indignantly at the four thick textbooks that Professor Badcock slammed in front of all the students, saying that she expected them to know how to navigate and recite each spell by  _ tomorrow morning. _

Which  _ would have been fine _ for people like Diana or Lotte who allowed the hags of Luna Nova to run over them. 

But for Akko? It  _ wasn’t  _ happening.

After having had enough, she marches, Lotte and her translating talents in hand, she was on her way to give those faeries and trolls a piece of her mind.

It goes… well, considering the circumstances she was under. Akko had taken a moment to hear their side of it and she can resonate with the way they are feeling, unfair treatment and all. It makes her think of those damned textbooks and she’s furious all over again, so like anyone would, she decides to become their representative — much to Lotte’s horror and Badcock, Finnelan, and Holbrook’s confusion.

A much needed meeting takes place to discuss the strike, and much to Akko’s surprise, Professor Croix was there, and she proposes a super awesome, genius non-traditional mechanical solution that could be executed with her own inventions. 

This would be perfect for the evolution and history of this academy! Professor Croix is so smart and she knows what she’s doing. She’s too good for this place and the teachers with their stuck up ‘traditional’ ways of solving their problems.

It was absolutely a great opportunity for Luna Nova, and Akko was absolutely on board..

_ Those guys would be stupid to refuse it.  _

* * *

_ They didn’t approve of Croix’s proposition. _

“ _ Stupid traditions…”  _ Akko muttered to herself.

Not unusually, she had once again been downtrodden. 

_ The headmistress and the professors just wouldn’t hear Croix’s side of it, huh?  _

Her eyes linger on the flooring with sorrow from where she was sitting on the steps outside of the meeting room. 

“Hard to blame 'em…” says a familiar voice. She looks towards the origin of the voice with initial shock. 

“ _ Not everyone has the courage to accept new things, you know.”  _

Akko hurries to her feet, nervously holding her hands behind her back. She was admittedly a bit spooked by the professor’s approach, but after identifying the voice and who it belonged to, she was rather fidgety. “Professor Croix!” 

“O-Oh yeah, that’s right! I, uh... wanted to thank you for helping me out the other day! My name's Atsuko Kagari,” she says, suddenly remembering the mental note she had made to herself for the next time she ran into her. Giving a quick bow out of instinct from her own culture, she introduces herself. “Your modern magic is  _ so _ cool! I was really impressed!”

“ _ Oh,  _ thank you, Miss Kagari.” Professor Croix smiles, flattered, yet knowingly so. Akko berates herself inwardly,  _ she had probably heard things like that all the time! _ It was strange, but Akko weirdly finds herself stammering because of it.

“P—Please, call me Akko!” She finally responds, giving her the name that most people who weren’t her other angry professors called her. 

Croix oddly says nothing to that, and much to Akko’s confusion, she starts to walk past her. Suddenly when Akko can only see her backside, she says,

“Why don’t you come to my modern magic class sometime?”

Her heart flutters. She didn’t know why. Either way, she still finds herself growing overly excited and she’s already grinning ear-to-ear when she responds happily.

“ _ Okay _ !” 

* * *

“ _ Are you hurt?”  _

Is what she had asked after saving her life for a second time. She says it with a smug attitude, like she’s done this a million times. It was no big deal. She was standing on some strange flying machine thing, but Akko was far too disoriented from almost falling to her death. She had gotten ready to help Akko get up from previously having fallen on the ground, but a crowd of students buzzing with excitement surrounded her, giving her the praise that Akko would be too flustered to give on her own.

The recognition she deserved. 

And not only were the students impressed, but the Professors were as well. Though, Professor Finnelan remained hostile towards Croix for whatever reason—Akko couldn’t understand.

  
  


But even when the world was against her, Akko believed. Akko knew this was special—knew  _ she was special.  _ And that was the moment when Croix became a hero in Akko’s eyes. Her savior. Her role model, ever so slowly rising above Chariot, rising above the rest.

_ And also maybe when she got a small crush…  _

“I’m alright,” she rushes to say, sheepishly rubbing the back of her sore neck. Croix is amazing, and… and special, that’s all. Akko can’t quite put a finger on what she’s feeling. Not yet, anyways. 

But more than anything, she was intrigued.  _ However _ , not by the lessons and the complex knowledge that she was receiving that she barely understood. But rather, the person giving them. 

And deep down, Akko  _ knew _ she didn’t have a chance. But that didn’t stop her from developing a deep rooted crush on her new professor.

_ She just couldn’t help herself!  _

But really, how could anyone  _ not  _ fall for someone like Croix? She was extremely cool, laid back, knew her stuff and was totally good looking. It seemed like she knew it too, which was frustrating for Akko more often than it wasn’t. 

Akko wasn’t generally one to instantly get crushes on people, especially when they were older than her, but this was an exception of course. The only other time this has happened was when she met Andrew. Maybe her crush on Andrew was predictable, but she  _ didn’t even know _ that she was into girls!

...  _ Maybe she should have looked into those funny feelings she got when hanging out with Amanda… _

Anyways, that was besides the point right now. It was a bit hard for Akko to focus during the lecture while Croix wrote something on the technologically advanced display of her own invention for all the students to see. Almost like a chalkboard, but  _ cooler.  _

It’s been a few weeks since Croix had started attending the academy as a professor, and maybe it had started to grow redundant to the brunette’s teammates each time she’d ask a strangely specific question about whether Professor Croix preferred American or European style pancakes.

Of course the Japanese girl always would aspire to become like Chariot, but the ever evolving magic and inventions of Croix were also something Akko found herself unusually captivated by as well.  _ And it totally had nothing to do with Croix herself… totally.  _ This woman was becoming a close second and rival to Shiny Chariot’s spot on Akko’s top inspirations. 

Another addition to her already rapidly growing feelings for the new Professor was discovered when she, Lotte and Sucy were in the cafeteria during dinner service after classes, reading the new issue of Luna Nova News that had recently been published. At first, she had been infuriated by the photo that they used in the article.  _ She hadn’t been looking her greatest.  _

It talked about the end of the strike in the school, followed by information regarding the woman who played a big part of it.  _ Croix Meridies.  _ She had already been interested upon the mere mention of the name, but she became even more captivated when Lotte read aloud the section that talked about how Croix graduated from Luna Nova in 2007.

_ Alongside Chariot Du Nord.  _

Before she knew it, Akko was on her feet again. She found herself headed back to the empty lecture hall where she found Croix still doing something on her laptop. She had come to ask a question about whether or not she personally knew Chariot, after Professor Finnelan failed to sufficiently answer it. 

She peeks through the slightly opened doors and it takes a little for her to get the confidence to call for her attention. Her heart raced upon being directly addressed by her newest role model. She came up the steps and stood next to the modern magic professor. 

“Did you know her personally, Professor Croix?” The brunette had asked, a fuse of excitement threatening to catch a spark. And it does exactly that when she sees Croix’s initial reaction of shock. Maybe it was because she was unsure as to how Akko could know such a thing, but then her demeanor quickly turns closed off. Like she didn’t want to discuss the topic that a very eccentric Akko had brought up. But her reaction gave Akko all the clarification that she needed. 

“You  _ did  _ know her!” 

“ _ We… _ were acquainted back in our day. I didn’t know her all that well, but I suppose we considered each other friends.”

Akko has sparkles in her eyes. “That’s so cool, Professor! I want to meet Chariot one day, too! I wanna be just like her! It’s why I came to Luna Nova in the first place!”

Croix already knows all of this. She’s only said it a million times during her distant study of Akko. Under any circumstance, it wasn’t a thing she would willingly do on a normal day.

_ But Akko had the Shiny Rod, and the Shiny Rod was the whole reason she came back to this place at all.  _

  
  


It comes up between them (mainly Croix trying to change the subject) that any items she may have that had ties to Shiny Chariot would be of particular interest to her. 

_ Because science. _

For a split second in Akko’s mind, it just begged the question in her mind as to how she would know to ask such a specific thing.  _ Akko didn’t mind it, though.  _ She actually quite liked it. Had perhaps Professor Croix been paying attention to her?

Distractedly by the other woman’s charming yet mysterious gaze, Akko manages to process the things that were being said to her. Croix explained how she is interested in researching the Shiny Rod in her laboratory. 

_ For the development of modern magic.  _

One thing she admired most about her new teacher was her ambition to improve the philosophy of the great resource that was magic. Everything she did was for the betterment of things, and Akko could appreciate that. 

“Perhaps you could bring the…  _ what did you call it? _ ” Croix had asked, asking the last bit rather unconvincingly. Almost like she already knows what the Shiny Rod is called. Maybe she was unsure of the pronunciations of it though, and the girl forgets it relatively fast. 

Akko pauses, nervous for no particular reason before assisting her Professor in the recollection of the name of her most prized possession.

“Huh?... O-Oh!  _ You mean the Shiny Rod _ ! And I’ll be sure to bring it over!” She says enthusiastically with a sweet smile and slightly reddened cheeks. 

The Professor bid her farewell and sent Akko on her way. While the brunette walked in the hallways to catch up with her teammates who were headed to their dorm for the day, Akko pondered with swelling excitement in her stomach. 

So Professor Croix stayed in the New Moon tower, huh? Akko hasn’t been on that side of the school before and was admittedly curious to see how it may differ from the one that she spent most of her time in.  _ And partly to see where it was that Croix spent all her time… _

Either way, Akko couldn’t help but let her mind drift on thoughts regarding Croix and her lab as she headed to the New Moon tower. Shiny Rod in hand. She seemed like the type of person to live in a real cozy place. What kind of colors did she like? Certainly it had to be better than that of Professor Ursula’s, right? 

_ Not that there was anything wrong with Ursula’s observatory, but… well, she could use a bit of help from an interior specialist.  _

But that was besides the point. 

So it turns out that Croix's laboratory is situated in the direct center of the New Moon Tower. She may as well have just gotten this whole tower to herself! It was incredibly elaborate, and there were many…  _ many  _ stairs. 

Like,  _ too many  _ stairs. 

But Akko wasn’t going to complain. Even though her legs felt like they were going to give out any moment, she’d still soldier on. For magic!  _ Though, she sure hopes she’s going the right way… _

All of her worries are soon put to rest when she finds and recognizes one of Croix’s many advanced inventions waiting for her, a sorcery unit, halfway up the steps. “Are you gonna show me the way?” She asks it like someone would talk to a puppy, following it with wonder.

Further up the frustratingly long well of stairs, Akko discovers that it was guarded by various golems and sentient statues. A bit progressive, but maybe Croix has a good reason for it! Maybe the things that she researched inside were really sensitive, and the safety of all artifacts were crucial.

_ Yeah, she’d just go with that. _

Upon reaching the top at long last, Akko takes a moment to get air circulating through her lungs again before consciously fixing insignificant things about her appearance that absolutely no one would notice, but for whatever reason she felt compelled to before being in the presence of someone she had grown to feel so strongly for in the past few days. 

It wasn’t that big of a deal, but Akko felt compelled to do her best to be the greatest student in Croix’s class!  _ For no actual reason... _

The lab is located behind a mechanical entrance that only seems to open upon the command of something very specific. Akko isn’t left waiting very long at the sealed entrance when it suddenly begins to unlock itself in a complex flurry of mechanics. 

_ It was mesmerizing to watch.  _

The doors separate, and her amazement is rekindled when she gets her first impression of Professor Croix’s laboratory. 

It’s…  _ dark.  _ And very chrome-y. It contained several electronic screens, a surveillance system, highly advanced computers, security cameras, analysis artifacts and containment spaces that appeared to store Croix's test objects, and a plethora of other technology that Akko wouldn’t have ever dreamed of seeing in her lifetime. The lack of lighting made it seem almost ominous, but in a way, it did a good job at making her feel the presence of such incredible science that could all be drawn back to one, beautiful thing:  _ magic _ .

However, Akko’s amazement is short-lived when she suddenly spots the professor waiting for her near the entrance. Her astonishment is quickly replaced by a more sheepish change in her behavior accompanied by a slight blush on her cheeks. 


	2. Chapter 2

“ _ Ah _ . So you’ve made it. Welcome,” says Croix, more pleased than anything. Akko seemed to have the item that she promised to bring along, so it looked like she’d be useful after all. 

Akko holds the Shiny Rod close, smiling when Croix invites her in. She does a twirl as she walks, fully taking in the atmosphere and the entirety of its amazing complexity. “So this is your lab? It’s so totally cool!” 

The woman softly giggles. “Thank you. It’s not much, but it’s home,” 

Akko agrees with that. Not necessarily because she thinks it’s not much, but because she didn’t really know what to say. The tension in the pause that followed her last sentence was mostly one sided on the brunette’s part when she was late to respond, seemingly distracted with other things. Like getting lost in that smug, yet inviting smile. 

_ And those mysterious eyes. _

“A-Anyways..! Here’s uh, t-the Shiny Rod!” She says finally, holding it out in a presenting way to her smarter professor. Croix reaches a hand out to grab it, but upon further inspection, she seems alarmed by it — much to Akko’s confusion. 

A silence follows, and the Japanese girl is almost afraid to say anything to the disturbed woman who was now emptily staring out of the window that was behind them. 

“Just… set it down on that table over there…” she eventually offers, still facing the window. Yet still, her voice has something reminiscent of regret in its tone.

Akko looks on with concern, puzzled as to why Croix had had such a strange reaction to the Shiny Rod. Nonetheless, she hurriedly does as she was instructed and carefully placed it on the examination table.

The Rod is then under the slow analysis in a green laser light, seemingly being scanned and examined by some sort of machine that Akko is easily fascinated by. Although shaken, Croix seems to regain a grip on her bearings and accompanies her at the table where the Shiny Rod was being analyzed. Once the scanning light reaches about a third of the Rod, a screen on one of Croix’s monitors light up behind them. 

Upon closer inspection over Croix’s shoulder, it appeared to have some information about the Shiny Rod, though… it certainly had the name wrong. How did it get ‘ _ Claiomh Solais’  _ out of ‘ _ Shiny Rod’?  _ Maybe her systems were faulty today…

“It ...seems the Shiny Rod is tied to some sort of complex magical properties such as human emotion…” she says calmly after a while. She was making more of an observation than anything else. 

“ _ Right!  _ ...A-And that means…?  _ What, exactly?”  _

The professor clicks away at multiple buttons with complex and strict sequences. Akko was fascinated yet again, her eyes darting every which way her fingers went on the board when suddenly Croix faced her again. 

“Akko, have you ever used this for magic before?” 

She nods quickly. “Y-Yeah! About a dozen times or so by now… how come?” 

An inquisitive knuckle finds itself on her chin. 

…

“ _ Would you perhaps be able to give me a demonstration?” _

Akko’s eyes widen. She shrivels a bit, sheepishly twiddling her fingers. “ _ Well _ , …”

“ _ Y-You see…  _ I’m not exactly able to just use it whenever. I… it only seems to work when I  _ really  _ need it to. I-I’m not sure how, but it somehow knows when I need it the most,” 

Now Croix is the one with wide eyes upon her nervous explanation. Albeit choppy, she seems to understand  _ perfectly,  _ turning her gaze of deep thought toward the Rod, still on the table where Akko had placed it.  _ “I see… _ ”

And then, Akko feels something short of helpful. She wished she could have been able to show her Professor just how  _ cool  _ the shiny rod and its powers were! She wished she could be a main contributor to the process of research for magic. 

“But? I-If you want… I can tell you all about it when it  _ does  _ work! Would that help?...” she says hopefully. Plus, she was kind of hoping to stay here a little longer. 

Croix visibly gives it some thought. It wasn’t the  _ actual  _ thing, but perhaps the rundown of it would be just as effective. Information was information, and she was certainly not in a place to be picky as to how she obtained it. If this is what she was getting, then she was going to take it. Even if she did have to go through an obnoxious sixteen-year old to get it.

“That sounds wonderful.” Is all she says. And Akko is surprised. 

“Huh?  _ R-Really _ ?”

“Why not? I’m sure you have some great stories to tell.  _ Besides _ , ...knowing all of it could  _ really help with the advancement in my research of that Shiny Rod of yours,” _

Akko smiles, excitement growing in her. “I do, actually!” 

Now Croix stands from her chair, Akko suddenly growing intimidated from the relative height difference. She towers over her, smiling down warmly. 

“Hey, Akko?”

“ _ Y-Yes?” _

_ “ _ You like ramen, don’t you?” 

Akko’s blush fades, confusion overtaking her features. “Eh? Well, o-of course I do. But… um, why do you ask?”

* * *

  
  


“Y _ eash! And it waz weaaaally huge!”  _ Akko tries to speak, but her mouth was too full of noodles to really be understood. 

Croix is on the other side of the small table she had, watching lamely. Her cup of noodles had been entirely forgotten to the side, mainly because she had lost her appetite with the way that Akko had been slurping. 

This was a bad idea.

She had expected minor setbacks following her secretive study on Akko in the past few months, 

but this?

Akko doesn’t notice her dismay though, and she swallows down. “I don’t know how, but… the spell just sort of…  _ came to me.  _ You know?” She says enthusiastically, and gets right to preparing another fork. But before she can do so, a firm hand finds itself on Akko's, which was about to put food into her open mouth. 

The Japanese girl makes surprised eye contact with her Professor who was leaning across the table to stop her from eating more food for whatever reason. Her cheeks instantly warm up following the contact.

“I—Is something the matter, Professor Croix?” 

She simply sighs. 

“ _ What spell?”  _

“O-Oh! You mean the spell that helped me summon the Shiny Arc? I think it was …  _ Orfei?... s- _ something?” She stammers, once again deeming herself useless to Croix. 

Rubbing her brow to ward off her oncoming headache, Croix heaves another incredibly troubled sigh and pushes her chair back a tad as she stands. Disappointment overtakes Akko’s features as she watches Croix leave the table to go to the one where the Shiny Rod was still being scanned. It was nearly toward the end of it, but there was still a bit to go. Akko sets the fork into the plastic cup with her noodles and follows her. “Professor,  _ w-wait up!” _

Croix watches intently. So does Akko. Well, she tries at least. She just thinks the silence is grueling. She steals a quick glance up at her Professor, unsure if she should say or do anything. 

“Professor? What… what  _ exactly  _ is that thing doing to the Shiny Rod, again?...” 

Then, much to Akko’s confusion, Croix begins to laugh. “ _ Akko _ ,”

“Yes?...”

“That  _ ‘spell’ _ that came to you? That wasn’t a spell. That was one of the seven words of Arcturus.” 

A brown eyebrow raises, and she pouts, trying to see if any of that rang a bell.

“ _ OH.  _ The seven words!! Professor Ursula has been helping me search for those! She told me all about them,” 

…

“. _..Did she, now?” _ came Croix’s slow response. The way she says it is like it had answered an unspoken question of hers.

Akko, happy to provide as much information as possible, nods eagerly, evoking yet another pleased smirk from Professor Croix. The woman looks down at her, her pernicious eyes flitting over to ask another question. 

“...Does the Rod by any chance…  _ react to your emotions?” _

“Y-Yes! It does! ….How did you know?” The brunette says, astonished by her accuracy.

“ _ Lucky guess _ . But it makes me wonder…” 

Akko doesn’t know exactly what to do or if there was something she was supposed to be doing, but Croix’s hand was now slowly reaching right towards her. Her red eyes grow slightly wide with curiosity.  _ She had pretty hands. _

“ _ Why does the Shiny Rod react to you?” _

And of all things, the least of them that she had expected was this soft hug that her Modern Magic Professor was giving her, head resting over her shoulder and arms across her waist. Akko feels her cheeks warm up, and strangely, her eyelids growing heavy with an indisputable desire to close that she couldn’t fight. Croix was just so warm, and the lighting was dim enough and relaxing. These were all perfect conditions to close her eyes. She was in the middle of something important, but a few seconds wouldn’t hurt.

_ Just a few, short seconds. Then she’d wake right up. _

“Let me take a look for you…”

_ Aww. She’s so sweet. _

Then her eyes slip closed, and she could’ve sworn she hears Professor Croix saying “ _ Character Analysis,” _


	3. Chapter 3

Abruptly, Akko finds herself waking up. Her eyes were bleary and still sleepy, but she resisted the urge to let the clutches of sleep take her when she realized that the place where she slept was unfamiliar. 

She’s…  _ never _ seen this place before. She definitely wasn’t in her dorm. 

There was a blanket over her and a pillow under her head in this strange looking bedroom. Well, strange in a sense that it could have used more decor. 

Not wanting to move from under the warm blanket, she opts to look around instead. 

Suddenly, she feels a soft hand on her forehead. 

“Akko, are you feeling alright?” 

Then the cogs in her cloudy mind begin to turn. 

_...She was in Professor Croix’s bed!  _

Immediately, upon just that thought alone made her cheeks burn terribly. She slightly turns her head back to see her concerned teacher hovering over her, feeling her forehead for any unusual warmth. 

“P-Professor Croix? ... _ What _ ? What am I doing here?...” she asks without much effort, her voice still groggy from sleep.

Much to Akko’s dismay, her hand and it’s comforting touch disappear before she says something.

“You... fell asleep very suddenly while we were discussing your Shiny Rod,” she says, feigning a slight shock of her own.

So that’s what happened? 

Then Akko pondered. That was  _ very  _ strange. She’s always in bed by curfew and is getting … a  _ decent _ amount of sleep. 

_ She thinks… _

Maybe her busy school schedule was just taking a toll on her. 

“Huh? Ohh, really? T- That’s  _ strange… hehe,”  _ she says, suddenly feeling bad for taking over her bed. Her laugh is very clearly forced to try and ease the discomfort of the situation. She and Croix began to softly giggle together.

It seemed to be late, probably after curfew and her teammates were probably getting worried about her. 

“T-That’s... really funny. Geez, I-I’m sorry about all of this, …” she says, laughter subsiding as she sits up slowly. 

“...Akko, why don’t you just stay here for the night?”

Akko flusters again. Stay  _ here _ ?

“B-But Professor! What about your bed?” 

Croix smiles. “It’s okay. I have a couch. Besides, it certainly appears that you need the rest. Just stay here and I’ll wake you up for your classes tomorrow, alright?” She offers sweetly, further flustering Akko. 

“Wow, a-are you sure?...” 

“Mhm. I’ll be sure to let your teammates and the professors know about this.”

“W-Well…” looking down, she feels a little shy. She really shouldn’t stay. She’s taking up Croix’s space and she just got here! Her last intentions were to inconvenience anyone. 

_ Then _ , she suddenly remembered the stairs that she had to climb up to get here, and the same ones that she would most likely have to take to leave. Her legs ached and her body felt fatigued just thinking about it. That’s when she decided that she was absolutely going to take her up on this offer.

“Alright, then! I’ll stay here, if that’s alright with you, Professor Croix!” 

* * *

  
  


The next morning, Akko and Croix walk side by side in the halls after the teacher had politely offered to walk the brunette to her class. Akko agrees of course, and they’re both relatively silent for the most part. The halls gradually grow more and more crowded as the time ticks closer to eight in the morning. 

“H-Hey, um…  _ Professor?  _ Thank you for walking with me. I really appreciate the company,” Akko decides to say, timidly, breaking the silence. 

Croix remains unfazed by her sudden decision to speak, arms crossed and gaze straight ahead. She preferred it to be quiet when she was with Akko, muttering a curt response. “Of course.” 

The Japanese witch steals a glance at her Professor before taking a sudden mild interest in the intricate design of the carpeted flooring in the corridors. Her smile goes sour, cheeks reddening as she recalls yesterday. She had learned so much about the Shiny Rod, and she got to spend time with her new professor! She still wonders why she fell asleep so suddenly, though…

But it’s no more than an afterthought when Croix speaks up again.

“The cafeteria, right? Here we are,” 

“Yeah, this is it! Thanks so much, Professor Croix!” Akko says jovially. She had come around to stand in front of her, bowing slightly to show her gratitude, coming back up with a reddened face. 

“ _ AKKO!”  _ she suddenly hears the cry of a familiar voice. She’s still facing her Professor when someone comes barrelling into her from behind and wraps her in a hug. The Japanese girl steadied herself from the unexpected collision

before turning around slightly. And upon inspection, she sees that the attack of an embrace had been given to her by Lotte. Sucy was standing behind them, staring blankly into her eyes. It sent a shiver down Akko’s spine, but the chill didn’t last for too long as she’s distracted by Lotte nuzzling her chest. 

“Akko! We were  _ so _ worried about you!” Lotte said, and Akko’s brows draw together, flattered. 

“You were? Gosh, I’m sorry you guys,” 

“Honestly, the peace and quiet was kind of nice.” 

“ _ Sucy, stop that!!” _

Akko dries her eyes from the wetness she had gotten from her laughter. Still in Lotte’s embrace, she had turned back a little and found Croix still watching them with an easy to miss fondness. She meets Akko’s gaze again, raising a brow. 

Wiggling out of the right grip she found herself in, the brunette smooths her uniform again before properly addressing her teacher. “T-Thanks so much again! We’ll see you later in your class, right?”

“That’s right. I’ll see you then. Have a good day, you all,” came her reply, and she bids them farewell before heading off somewhere. But before she got too far away, a question for her had been on the tip of Akko’s tongue that she was struggling to find the confidence to ask. 

“P-Professor Croix, hold on a second!” 

Lotte and Sucy had already been heading into the cafeteria, but just like Croix, they had turned around to see what it is that Akko had to say. 

“Yes?” 

…

Upon the attention, Akko suddenly regrets saying anything. But she’s in too far now, so she catches up with Croix before anxiously continuing.

“... _ S-So _ , um. I  _ was thinking.. _ . Luna Nova has surely changed a lot since you’ve last been here, right? What if I showed you around a little later? L-Like a tour! You can see what’s new!”

A stunned silence delays Croix’s response. But eventually, a sly smile tugs at her lips.

“That sounds wonderful.” is what she simply says in response. It almost sounds sardonic.

And before Akko can say much else, Croix’s red cape was already flowing behind her as she went away. She was kind of glad though, because she didn’t even have to see herself to know that it would be embarrassing for anyone to see how red her cheeks probably were. Why she had been so coy, Akko didn’t know. But her smile was pretty and it was enough to distract her from any questions that came up following her teacher’s reaction. She had sighed with excitement, and a big smile on her face when she walked past her teammates into the cafeteria.

“Come on Lotte, Sucy! What are you guys waiting for?”


	4. Chapter 4

Croix boredly follows Akko through the northern campus of the grand Luna Nova property. It was getting dark and the moon had already begun to show in the sky, but it wasn’t quite closing time and there was your occasional group of witches sprinkled throughout the fields, playing sports or flying out on their brooms and what not. 

Hannah and Barbara were having a picnic under the shade of the Jennifer statue in the courtyard, and she had also spotted Amanda and Diana somewhere around there too. Lotte and Sucy were in town getting some things for the dorm before the weekend came tomorrow. That’s why it was the perfect opportunity for Akko to show Croix around the school.

And truthfully, Croix had already seen all of this during her time here all those years ago. It hadn’t changed much, with the exception of minor changes. But Akko was enthusiastic, and Croix needed to appear as trustworthy as possible if her plan was going to have no chances of failure. 

“Here, we have the Fountain of Polaris! This is where I learned the third word, Arae Aryrha!” says an overly optimistic voice when they stop in front of a mostly normal, but specifically  _ odd _ fountain. 

“Very interesting.” Is all she bothers saying. But for Akko, it’s more than enough. The brunette smiles, thinking back on those memories of when the arch had opened up and she had gotten a flashback of Chariot. 

“This place is  _ super _ cool! It helped me to keep going when I wasn’t confident in myself... It even gave me a vision of Chariot when she was feeling similar to how I was!” 

Crossing her arms, Croix smiles a little, albeit not caring that much. “A vision?  _ Isn’t that neat…” _

Akko agrees with a delighted hum. “It was! And it made me want to meet Chariot  _ even more _ than I do now! I just want to have a conversation with her… a-about everything.” she continues, her overly enthusiastic demeanor suddenly sobering. Croix glances at her, almost alarmed at how quickly it changed. But seeing her so solemn was a nice change of pace for once. 

“Sometimes, ...I really wonder  _ how _ she did it.  _ I wonder what gave her the courage to keep going. _ I bet she had all sorts of people trying to pull her down like I have, but…” she trails, doubtful. Her gaze goes up to the moon that was brightly shining now. Most of the students who were outside had gone in by now, and it was mainly just she and Croix in this side of the campus. 

And ...Croix doesn’t really know what to say. Akko had randomly just got so down on herself that she wasn’t prepared. She wasn’t good with this kind of thing. Especially when that thing was as enigmatic as Atsuko Kagari. She could have let her words ruminate in her mind and think of something to say that would console her, but she doesn’t like to dwell and swiftly changes the subject. “ _ Wanna know something?” _

And Akko had been caught off guard by the sudden question. Either way, she’s curious now and she wants to hear everything Croix has to say. “H-Huh?  _ Yeah _ ! Um, w-what is it?”

“Well, ...you see that mark up there on the moon? Chariot is the one who did it.” 

Akko blinks. She had known that Chariot was great and divinely powerful. She admired it about her most and aspired to be like her. But to physically affect something as far out and untouchable as the moon?

“... _ What _ ? Professor Croix, how do you know that?”

She hesitated before speaking on. This was something she could have easily lied to her about. Something she could have said that Akko would believe without delay. But there was really no point in doing so, and she had already been doing enough of that.

_ And plenty more was to come.  _

“ _ I… _ was with her at the time. She hadn’t done it on purpose. Her emotions got the best of her...”

A silence follows, and Croix rather finds it abrupt. Akko hadn’t said anything and the quietness between them is thought provoking. For Akko at least. 

“What was she like?” Akko asks suddenly. 

Croix had seen this one coming since she had learned that she and Chariot had history together. She was surprised that it hadn’t come sooner, but there was really no telling with Akko. That frustrates her.

“ _ You and Chariot are a lot like each other. _ Even your eyes are about the same…” came her reply without much effort. It wasn’t as detailed as Akko had been hoping for, but it was plenty to send her through the roof. 

And it’s not exactly a lie. The blind ambition, the willingness to do whatever it took to reach childish goals, and the obnoxious, yet admirable over time personality were all there. 

“O-Oh, ...really? I  _ never thought about it like that...” _ Akko’s cheeks burn red and she looks away shyly, her fingers finding each other so that they can fidget. Croix doesn’t say anything, and now Akko feels a little embarrassed. She steals a quick glance at the Professor, finding that she was still looking at the moon, an unreadable expression on her face.

The last thing she wants is to rouse any bad memories that may have come with her past relationship with Chariot, so for now, Akko decides that she’s going to try her best to not bring it up.

_ Starting tomorrow.  _ “S-So, um… what was she mad about?”

Then Akko wondered exactly what kind of relationship she had with her idol. As it is, everyone always gets tense when her admiration for Chariot was mentioned. 

“I don’t remember all that well.” She says simply, turning away so Akko can’t see the lie on her face. 

She never understood why, but it sure was discouraging to be constantly berated for her interests, especially when she never was told  _ why  _ Chariot was such the fraud that everyone made her out to be.

“ _ Professor Croix?...” _

Chariot was a  _ good _ person, and she only wanted one thing. She wanted to make people happy. 

She only used her magic for  _ good _ , and Akko never understood why everyone had such a problem with that.

“Thank you… for not criticizing me.  _ F-For  _ liking Chariot.”

Akko watches Croix’s backside, beholden and struck with a deep admiration that got deeper and deeper the more time they spent together. She couldn’t help it. 

And if being a supporter of Chariot meant dealing with all of the things that people had to say about her, then Akko was fine with it.

“ _ Let’s ...continue on with the tour, Akko.”  _ Is all Croix finally had said. Her voice had a rue to it that was easy to mistake for something else. Akko glances guiltily to the side. 

She picks up on it, and while she is curious, she is tentative to ask. It very clearly has something to do with her and Chariot, and whatever it might’ve been, Akko just wanted to give Croix a big hug and squeeze away all of her sorrow.

But she restrains herself from doing so, and instead she smiles her regular smile, but this time it’s empathetic when came to Croix’s side and timidly edged her hand toward hers ever so slightly, until she felt her fingertips brush her hand. Akko’s cheeks burned when her thought of completely taking hold of her Professor’s hand quickly became her next action.

“Y-Yeah! Let’s get going!”

The brunette purposely avoids eye contact with her, but if she hadn’t, she’d have seen Croix’s brows quirk up slightly in discomfiture, tensing her muscles before she pulled her hand away from Akko’s, warding off any more advances that she may have tried by crossing her arms.

Albeit inwardly disappointed, Akko’s smile doesn’t waver and she continues to lead Croix up the walkway that ultimately leads back to the main entrance of the building. 

* * *

  
  


“And I think this is our last stop! The Library,” says Akko, her voice echoing through the hallway. 

By now, the halls were relatively empty following dinner service. There were a few girls here and there, walking with friends to the canteen, but most of the unintelligible chatter buzzed with a plethora of different conversation came from the cafeteria. Akko didn’t even bother when she had learned that they were serving her least favorite meal that night for dinner this morning on her way to class from overhearing a conversation of some witches passing by. She’d rather wait until morning for potatoes. 

Besides, she was doing something incredibly important right now, and she was more than happy to skip dinner if it meant she got to spend time with her favorite Professor. Lotte and Sucy, but mainly Lotte had been a bit weary following her decision to not attend the dinner service, but Akko didn’t mind. Especially when the food was just barely edible.

“When I first came to Luna Nova, I used to think that the library was sort of boring. But now that I’ve been here a while, it’s kind of nice!” She says informatively, like the things that she was saying were of use to someone like Croix, and pushes a hand on one of the doors to try and open it. “I don’t come in here that often... at all. But I do show up when there’s conferences because they usually have snacks, …”

“ _ Huh?  _ Why won’t it open?” Clearly lost, she figures it may be jammed or something and she leans against it with her weight and pushes. Croix steps forward, doing something that Akko wouldn’t have ever thought of. She reads the sign that was posted on the door.

“It looks like the library may be closed for the day,” she muses, and it’s rather delightedly if Akko paid any attention at all. Croix hasn’t exactly found this whole tour of Luna Nova all that entertaining as she would programming her sorcery units to turn invisible and spy on Ursula. 

But she was dedicated to her plans, and she needed to bond with Akko as much as possible if she wished to be victorious. So she puts herself aside and watches the apologetic and nervous laugh following Akko’s disappointing discovery of the library being closed.

Suddenly, Akko remembered the wand in its holder on the side of her uniform. It was almost useless for someone like her when she wasn’t half good at magic at all, but she  _ could _ manage small things like the one that had popped into her head. 

“Don’t worry, Professor! I know  _ just _ what to do.” she says, grinning a coquettish smile as she clumsily leans against one of the doors.

_ “Cincinno Patentibus _ !” Is the last thing she had said when the doors burst open before a bright green spark swirls around the doorknobs. Her efforts to gain balance as she tumbled backwards after the doors parted were kind of useless because she still ends up on the floor anyways. 

“ _ T-That was cool, right Professor? _ ” Croix hears her small, muffled voice from where she was face planting the ground. Croix watches, astonished, but not admiringly so. 

Akko pulls herself up eventually, but Croix had already gone to wander around on her own. It was an extremely vast library and it had certainly changed a great deal since she had studied here alongside Chariot. But after long enough, she feels Akko by her side again who had eagerly caught up with her, feeling a little lost as to why she’d continue on without her. But she forgets about it rather quickly and she smooths any dust off of her uniform that may have gotten on her following her fall. 

“It’s really nice in here, isn’t it? This is where I got most of my information on the Shiny Rod from!  _ B-Before I had you, of course…” _ timidly, she creates a cumbersome atmosphere between them yet again with her vague mentions of her intense but relatively shallow romantic attachment to Professor Croix.

Sighing, Croix turns to Akko, her body language expressing to Akko that she had been about to ask her something. “The Shiny Rod, huh?”

She finds herself unable to speak, so she nods lightly with a smile.

“ _ Speaking of…” _

“There are a few tests that I’d like to run on the Shiny Rod. While you’re in class tomorrow, you wouldn’t mind if I kept it with me, would you?” 

_ Let the Shiny Rod out of her sight? _

It was a thing that Professor Ursula had strongly warned her against. And normally,  _ she wouldn’t think twice before refusing… _

But Croix had placed her hand on her shoulder, and it was soft and sweet. Besides, it’s not like Croix wanted to do anything bad with it. She could trust her, and she hadn’t been wary upon the thought of letting her Modern Magic Professor take it for the day. She’d get it right back after class, and everything would be okay. Professor Croix was just trying to help her get all the information on the Shiny Rod as possible, after all. 

“O-Of course! You can take it for the day if you need to!” 

Croix allows herself a wry, yet alluring smile in Akko’s eyes. 

———

  
  


Another run of the mill day starts. She can’t help but yawn on her walk to class alongside Professor Ursula. Her company was always pleasant, but right now, it was the only thing keeping her awake. 

The halls still had some relative traffic going through them as witches headed to their classes. Akko wasn’t thrilled for another day of boring lessons yet again, but she guesses this is what she signed up for when she asked her parents to enroll here. She just had to keep her eye on the prize and remember why she came here: to be like Shiny Chariot.

But on long, droning days like this, it was hard to see why she had been so inspired to come to this place. 

She wondered if it was this bad for Chariot when she was attending Luna Nova. 

“Well, Akko? How about it? Are you feeling up to it?” the voice beside her says, sweet and considerate, yet nagging.

The girl snaps out of a trance where sleep was oh-so captivating. She nodded off, the quiet hum of sleepy conversation amongst lethargic girls lulling her to just a second of extra shut-eye… 

“Huh? S-Sorry,  _ what was that, Professor?”  _

She hears Ursula sigh calmly next to her. “I was planning on telling you something  _ very _ important about the Shiny Rod. Can you bring it with you to my room first thing after class?”

Akko gets ready to mumble some lazy reply of yes, but then she remembers that the Rod wasn’t exactly… currently in her possession. Professor Croix had already taken it with her somewhere, and she wasn’t sure when she’d be back. 

_ Professor Croix… _

Vivid memories of last night pop into her mind when she had given her a tour of the academy. Remembering the way that she looked at her when she asked for permission to take the Shiny Rod gave her face a newfound warmth in the otherwise chilly morning temperature of the corridors. Where she had placed her hand on her shoulder, Akko could still feel its butterfly soft touch. Her eyelids grow heavy with admiration and longing to be with her again somehow, even if she didn’t feel her touch. 

Hopefully it was before Modern Magic class when she returned. 

And Akko is suddenly feeling wide awake now, and after her brief romanticized recollection of yesterday, the rush of embarrassment from a delayed response floods over her. 

“ _ Ohh,  _ s-so… about that…” she starts sheepishly, a hand going to rub the back of her neck. “I gave the Shiny Rod to Professor Croix for the day. She said she was going to run some tests so we can find out more about it!” 

Even though Professor Ursula had told her once or twice…  _ or a few times _ in the past not to let the Shiny Rod out of her sight, she never said the same about giving it to another Professor. She trusted Croix, but she had a feeling that Ursula wouldn’t. Because she’s a worry wart. She worries about  _ everything,  _ and it really got on Akko’s nerves. 

“You did  _ what _ ?” The Professor asks, taken aback. A concerning amount of concern overtakes her expression, and it confuses Akko more than anything else. 

“Huh? ...What about it?”

Ursula adjusted her glasses on her face as they walked, looking woefully into the distance. Their conversation pauses, but Akko’s confusion never relents, eyeing her blue-haired Professor who visibly searched for words to say.

“Y-You see, Akko? Croix has…  _ a tendency to lose things very easily.  _ Even if they’re as important as the Shiny Rod. Look, I-I guess what  _ I’m trying to say is…” _

...

“She can’t be trusted! With… anything!” She says, urgently. The pressing tone in her voice and the desperate look in her eye when their gazes met sent a shiver down Akko’s spine. She can tell that Ursula is holding something back. Something important, but she finds a way around it, even if it isn’t all that believable.

But to Akko? She doesn’t struggle to believe anything Ursula had just told her. The only thing that she faltered to understand was the urgency that came with it. But they all had their quirks, right? Lotte reads Nightfall, Sucy has a weird and almost concerning obsession with mushrooms, Jasminka ate …  _ a lot,  _ and Diana had no problem with practically being Professor Finnelan’s personal seat warmer! So what if Professor Croix easily lost things? There’s nothing you can’t go looking for…

But they had finally made it to the lecture hall where Numerology normally took place. The doors are open and awaiting, but Akko doesn’t go in quite yet. She won’t until she finds out why Ursula was so jumpy over it.

“I’m pretty sure Professor Croix isn’t going to lose it. She knows how important it is to me and my dream of returning it to Chariot,” she counters, trying to be comforting to Ursula’s obvious yet strange misfortune that she had taken upon learning the Shiny Rod’s whereabouts. 

Ursula struggles with what to say again, getting ready to speak, but then stopping herself. Akko didn’t know why she was so weary for no reason. If she had something to say, then why didn’t she just spit it out? Did she and Croix have a hidden past or something? 

This time, her face hardens and she’s set on what she’s about to say, placing a solemn hand on Akko’s shoulder, opposite to where Croix had touched her yesterday. Akko waits patiently, her eyes watching Ursula curiously.

“ _ Wouldn’t lose what?”  _ The very familiar and very alluring voice asked suddenly, almost out of nowhere. 

Ursula jumps fearfully from the abrupt shock of a certain presence, but Akko only blushes because she knows that voice. She glances slowly over her shoulder to find Croix looking directly back at her, leaning against the wall beside the auditorium door and smiling that sly smile that always makes Akko feel like she’s on a rollercoaster. “Professor Croix! You’re back!”

Akko wastes no time in hurling herself into Croix’s arms and further shocks Ursula who watched dumbfoundedly. Adjusting her glasses again, she mutters an unconvincing and awkward greeting to the lilac haired woman. 

“O-Oh, my! Well, hello there Croix. I certainly ...did  _ not _ see you there…” 

“ _ Ursula.  _ How’s the day going?” she says her pseudonym with a sarcasm that only she and the other woman notice. Akko was too busy to pay attention to anything else. 

The brunette’s grip on her was snug, and while hugs weren’t something that she generally enjoyed (especially when Akko was the initiator) she certainly wasn’t even going to bother and try to get out of it. Akko smiles, nuzzling into the one sided embrace and doesn’t hear the painfully forced and unpleasant conversation that she and her other professor were having. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super duper interested to know what you guys are thinking about this fic! Leave any feedback you have!


	5. Chapter 5

_ Another average day at Luna Nova, huh?  _

Absolutely nothing fun was going on at all. It’s times like these when Akko doubted if her choice to come to Luna Nova was a good one. 

They were in their numerology class for the day, and the lecture hall was slowly filling up with students. Not even Professor Badcock had arrived yet, but she guesses it’s okay because she can talk freely until that changes. Lotte and Sucy are talking about something that she’s not paying attention to, but they’re talking over her since she sat between them and it was almost distracting while she tried to make sense of why everyone seemed to be exchanging things amongst each other. 

It wasn’t a holiday today, was it? Did she miss Christmas?! 

“Hey, guys? Why’s everyone giving each other gifts today?” She asks, abruptly pausing Sucy and Lotte’s light conversation. 

“You don’t know? Today is White Day! I figured if anyone knew, it’d be you since you come from where it originated,” Lotte says sweetly and informatively. 

_ Huh. That would explain the rapidly growing tower of small gift boxes on the corner of Lotte’s side of the desk.  _ There were a few on Sucy’s side, but there were yet to be any placed in front of Akko. 

“Oh, that’s right! So it’s White Day, huh? Has it really been a month since Valentine’s Day?” 

“Yeah. Still doesn’t figure why no one has gotten you anything, Akko. I guess no one cared enough.” Sucy butts in, voice as flat as ever. 

“Hey!” Akko looks at her with a disapproving and angry glare, but it doesn’t seem to affect her very much at all. She looks straight again at the groups of witches pouring in, pouting with her knuckles against her cheek as she leaned on the desk.

_ White Day. The day where you return the favor of things that you received on Valentine’s Day.  _

Akko looks around, specifically at the heightened rows behind that of her and her team’s. Jasminka gave to Hannah, Diana, who was extremely flustered begrudgingly hands a smug Amanda a bag of what appeared to be chocolates, and there were even a few cute little goodie bags on Constanze’s side…

And it got Akko to thinking about just how much has changed since the beginning of last month. She was  _ so _ close to finding all of the seven words of Arcturus, she could just  _ feel  _ Shiny Chariot. It was so near, yet it was unbelievable to imagine how close she really was. And now with Professor Croix’s help, she could take her anywhere she needed to go to look for them. It was definitely a good thing when you had Professor Ursula the worry wart. Though, she knew deep down that she just wanted to protect her. The incident at the tree of Wagandea proved that…

Wait a second. 

_ Professor Croix.  _

Upon the mere thought, Akko’s cheeks instantly grow red with warmth. You’re supposed to give treats to people you care about today, right? She cared about Professor Croix a great deal. That’s why she took extra care to not accidentally drop any of the ingredients that she had bought while she, Lotte and Sucy were in town earlier today after their classes were finished. Akko had a plan to make homemade chocolates for Professor Croix! 

Once in their room, she had managed to pull it off using the easy spells she knew. It wasn’t much, but it was made with a  _ lot _ of love. The chocolates were small and were in the shape of little hearts in a small, clear bag. She may have been one day late, but it’s not her fault that no one reminded her a day before! 

“That’ll be all for today. Be sure to come back tomorrow for more information on my newest invention,” 

So there she sat, the day after in her final class of the day. Modern Magic. The class was coming to a close, and Akko suddenly began to feel nervous as Lotte gathered their tablets together to return them to the Professor. 

“L-Lotte, wait!”

Lotte pauses. “Is everything okay, Akko?...”

“Yes, ...b-but I’ll take care of those. Why don’t you guys go on without me? I’ll meet you guys in the cafeteria for dinner, okay?” 

“Okay… well, we’ll see you there,” 

Sucy rolls her eyes, already knowing the extent of Akko’s insistence. She explains it boredly to Lotte on their walk to the canteen. 

And now, Akko is just about the only one left in the lecture hall along with the Professor who was cleaning a few things off of the desk. She stands, taking the tablets that they’re lended specifically for this class into her hands along with the thing she was most excited to give. Though, the bag is taken into her other hand that she then hid behind her back, as to not ruin the surprise. 

“P-Professor Croix? Do you have a minute?” is what she decides to go with, clearing her throat. Not  _ very _ casual, but it seemed to do the trick for getting the woman’s attention. She finished clearing off the surface of her desk before turning her full attention to the brunette. 

“Is there something I can help you with, Akko?” 

Akko then fidgets anxiously. “No, w-well, um… yes? I…” instead of finishing her sentence, she first and foremost holds out the devices to return. Croix takes them and mutters an unconvincing phrase of appreciation before raising another question with her brow. 

“A-And… I wanted to give you...  _ something else,”  _

So she reveals the hand behind her back and diligently holds it out in front of her. “ _ F-For you.”  _

Croix visibly debates accepting Akko’s gift before reluctantly reaching out and grabbing the small bag. Her inquisitive gaze lingers on Akko however, and she can’t help but wonder. 

“Huh? ...And what are these for?”

The Japanese girl‘s cheeks redden yet again and she smiles softly. “O-Oh, you ...haven’t heard? It’s for White Day. I-I’m a day late since it was yesterday,  _ but… _ ” 

She sheepishly rubs the back of her neck, chuckling nervously. “I-I sure hope you like them…” 

Croix hums acknowledgingly and looks broodingly off to the side. “ _ Thanks for these.”  _

Akko timidly meets her gaze again and she can’t help the small smile on her face that wanted to grow into a grin. She didn’t fight it, or the excited giggle that broke loose with it. “I-It’s no problem!” 

Croix accepted her gift, and that was good enough for Akko to get her overly excited. She likes the small smile that tugs on Croix’s lips when she sees how delighted it makes Akko. She laughs again and tentatively makes her way down the steps.

“I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, Professor. I hope you have a great rest of your evening,” 

“Likewise.” Is what Akko hears her say in the distance. She reaches for the doorknob and makes a small slit for herself to sweep out of the doors. 

The short walk from here to the cafeteria was short, but not long enough for Akko to replay the moment in her head ten times over. Her cheeks stay red the entire time until she enters the heavily populated canteen room for the dinner rush. She wasn’t all that hungry, but the next time she’d eat wouldn’t be until the next morning, so it’s best that she gets a tray and pick on it until she’s full. So that’s what she does. 

Silently, she slips into an empty chair beside Lotte who was intently watching as Amanda very animatedly told their little friend group one of her stories. When Akko took a bite of her food, she briefly wondered if any of it was even real. She wasn’t the smartest, but even she knew that this was almost entirely made up. Diana was probably the only one believing it over here since she was so smitten with Amanda. She tried to hide it, but it wasn’t very effective. 

Lotte looked almost fearful as she waited on in anticipation as Amanda talked about that time when a pirate snuck into her old school and tried to steal all of their electric pencil sharpeners because he thought it was a bottle opener. He apparently had a sword and was threatening all of the tenth graders. 

Akko finishes her food sooner rather than later and slips away from the table, unnoticed like when she had came. It was for the better though, because she would rather everyone not see her red face while she only thought of a single thing the entire time. 


	6. Chapter 6

“Thanks, Professor Ursula! I’ll be sure to study extra hard and pay attention to the little things so I can do my best to find that sixth word!”

“That’s the spirit, Akko,” Ursula encourages sweetly as the enthusiastic brunette stands from her seat. 

“Wait, ...is that really the time over there? It’s almost time for me to get back to my room!” She muses, glancing over at the clock on Ursula’s wall. “I guess I better get going then…”

“That’s probably a good idea. Wouldn’t want you missing anything important in class tomorrow!” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it! See you later, Professor! I won’t let you down!” Akko calls, laughing as she walks out of Ursula’s observatory.

If the blue haired woman said anything back to her, Akko didn’t hear it since almost immediately after stepping out into the hallway, she bumps into something solid.

The Japanese girl grumbles, massaging the back of her head where she had fallen and cracks an eye open to look up and identify what she had bumped into. 

Much to her surprise, the thing, or rather, the person she collided with became more and more evident as her gaze rose from crimson red boots, all the way up to dark green, piercing eyes that stared directly back at her. 

Her cheeks flare up and she gets right to frantically apologizing. “P-Professor Croix! Are you alright?” 

“That sounds like something I should be asking you,” she says, reaching her hand down for Akko to pull. Blushing, she eagerly takes it, pulling herself up and donning her uniform from where it had been bunched up following her fall. 

“I-I’m fine! Sorry I didn’t you see you there. I guess I should really look where I’m going…” 

Sheepishly, she berates herself and struggles to maintain eye contact from her sudden and uncharacteristic timidity. Croix acknowledges her obvious vulnerability that Akko took on only in the presence of her and exploits it smoothly, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

Easily. 

“Happens to the best of us. Where were you headed?” She asks, pretending that she hadn’t been eavesdropping in on her and Ursula’s session for the past hour. 

“O-Oh! I was headed to my room with Lotte and Sucy. I-it’s getting pretty late…” 

“Hmm. Well then, why don’t you get going? ...I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

Akko had blinked, flustered and incredibly detached upon the contact they had. It wasn’t much, but for Akko, it was plenty. 

“O-Of course!  _ Always.” _

Croix smiles. She retracts the hand that she placed on Akko’s shoulder and watches as she turns to walk away. 

“ _ Hey, and Akko?” _

Said girl and her heart softly clutches in her chest. She slightly turns to see the woman looking right back at her. 

“Why don’t you come back to my lab later tomorrow? ...I  _ think _ I  _ may _ have found something regarding that  _ sixth word _ that you were looking for…” 

And it wouldn’t be hard to faint on the spot. She gasps quietly, eyes beaming with excitement before she realizes that she’d left her Professor hanging too long without a response. Croix’s complacent and persuasive little smirk never fades as she watches Akko quiver in excitement. 

“O-Okay!” 

Her observant gaze watches until Akko completely disappears from her sight.

  
  


“Clinging to her as your last resort, I see.” Croix says teasingly, leaning in the doorway of Ursula’s observatory. 

Ursula is caught off guard by the voice and snaps her head in the direction to identify it. 

“...Croix? What are you doing here?” 

“I could ask you the same thing,  _ Chariot _ .” she says knowingly, leaning in the doorway. 

Ursula takes off her glasses, glaring in Croix’s direction. 

“It’s so pathetic that you think  _ Akko  _ is going to help you find the last word.” she says, idly picking at her nails. 

“ _ You don’t know Akko. _ She’s pulled off more than you ever will,” 

And Croix can’t help but laugh a bitter laugh at that.

“It’s not like she does any of that on purpose. Besides, she’s only powerful because she has Claiomh Solais. Other than that,  _ she’s just as weak as you.”  _

“You only say those things because you’re upset that Woodward didn’t choose you.  _ When _ are you going to get over it, Croix?”

“There’s nothing to get over. You had your time, and now it’s Akko’s turn. Why do you keep interfering?” She says in a low, teasing voice. She begins circling around the other woman who was standing stiff in the middle of the room,

“I-I’m not interfering!” Ursula argues weakly. 

“Mhm. I know what you’re doing, Chariot. And I’m not going to let you.”

“ _You don’t know anything._ I _will_ find out what you’re up to and I _am_ going to put an end to it,” 

“ _ Oh _ , but I do. And it’s going to be  _ incredibly  _ easy to mess you up. Even if you do find out, there’s  _ nothing  _ you can do to stop me.” 

“You can’t do anything without the Rod. Akko wouldn’t give it to you for anything.” She tries not to lose hope. Akko wasn’t the greatest of students to be so reliant on with such a crucial thing, but she  _ did  _ believe in herself. If that was all she had, then Ursula would have to support it by believing in her as well. She just doesn’t know why Croix looks so amused right now.

“I already have Akko’s trust, including physical and digital copies of every detail of Claiomh Solais that I need.” 

Her heart drops.

“Besides, I’m sure that Akko will be thrilled to know that her role model is the same one who’s using her  _ and  _ sucked up all her magical abilities...” 

Guilt pools in Ursula’s stomach when Croix lifts her head by her chin. They make direct eye contact, red eyes with a vacant and distant stare into the dark teal of her eyes and the smug look on her face. It drives home the fact that there really  _ isn’t  _ anything that she could do to stop her. 

“But don’t look so sad. We all do crazy things for power.  _ Right _ ?” Is the last thing Croix says before she disappears, slipping out of the door again with her red cape flowing behind her.

_ “Have a wonderful night, Chariot _ .” 

Ursula stands for a moment, the grueling words of Croix looming in her mind. She could have said something. She could have fought her. She shouldn’t have just sat there and let her get away with it. 

But she couldn’t feel anything besides the shame. 

Now she had Akko under her thumb and there was no getting her out of that. 

It was already too late. Akko wasn’t going to listen to her. 

She sits at her desk, removing her glasses and hat before her hands brush slowly over her face. 

“ _ What am I going to do?” _


	7. Chapter 7

Akko stares admiringly at something in her hand. It was a little drawstring bag that her grandma gave her all those years ago. She decided to take it along with her to Luna Nova, and it had proved itself useful up to this point. Inside was a thick wad of British currency that she had been saving up for a while now.

“Come on, Akko! Are you ready to go? We’re going to be late!” 

She pulls the strings and tightens the bag, stuffing it under her pillow.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming!” 

She takes one last glance at her bed before she slips out of the door that Lotte had been holding open for her. Sucy was already far ahead of them in the hallway, but Akko ran against the rules to catch up with her. She doesn’t see Lotte again until they meet in the cafeteria. 

They mundanely speed through the breakfast hour. Everything is how it is on a normal day. She could barely even hear herself think. She was an upbeat herself, but she didn’t understand how everyone was so wide awake and chatting lively amongst each other this early at eight in the morning. It was just something that she was never going to get used to.

She idly picks at her potatoes. 

Same old potato that she eats everyday for breakfast. The only other options were potato salad and mashed potatoes. This was too much starch for her. Hopefully Luna Nova will get sued when someone gets diabetes from all of this starch. Begrudgingly, she takes a bite and tries to fight the unrelenting feeling of sleep trying to pull her down. 

They get through first period and Akko is starting to wake up. Mainly because Lukić kept calling on her

when she saw that she was dozing off. Maybe it was for the better…

Second, third, lunch period, fourth and fifth period speed by after that. The final class of the day consisted of Modern Magic and Akko suddenly grew timid, which betrayed her mood for the entirety of the day. She knew why though, and it’s because she has a crush on the teacher who teaches that class. Another thing she had was two hundred British Pounds saved up in her bag back at the dorm, and she had a pretty good idea of how she wanted to spend it…

“Hi Professor,” she had said, standing by neatly with her hands behind her back as Croix locked the doors to the auditorium for the day. She’s taken off guard by Akko’s seemingly sudden appearance and clears her throat before giving a response.

“Good to you see you, Akko. How is everything?” 

Akko smiles. “Good! I ...actually have something to ask you!”

Croix crosses her arms and gives an amused little smile of her own. “...Sure, what is it?”

“I wanted to know if you’re doing anything later?” 

She places a knuckle to her chin and looks up thoughtfully. “Not that I can remember. Why’s that?” 

“Do you think you can maybe meet me in the main field at seven? T-There’s something I would like to show you…” she says, and she just goes for it. There’s thunder in her chest and she’s nervously fidgeting with her fingers but she thinks she’s doing a pretty good job at hiding it, despite the fact that her cheeks feel like they’re stinging. Croix hasn’t seemed to notice, so she thinks it’s fine. It’s probably fine.

It was the way that Croix doesn’t ponder too much before she gives a quick and simple reply that gives Akko butterflies. 

“Sure thing.” 

…

“ _ R-REALLY _ ?!” 

Croix’s eyes widened a bit. Akko being loud isn’t unusual, but it was certainly startling at times. Especially when it was without warning.

The Japanese witch clears her throat.

“I-I mean…  _ great to hear,  _ Professor!” She says quickly, laughing sheepishly. 

Croix only smiles, much like that time she did when they first met. It made Akko’s stomach twist and churn. She may have been staring a little longer than what’s considered normal, but when her Professor sweeps past her, purposely brushing their shoulders on her way by, she catches herself and bids farewell. “ _ Oh _ . OHH, yeah! A-And wear something nice! I-I’ll see you then!”

“See you then.” came the woman’s final response. She says it airily and dismissively with a laugh. And when her back is turned when she’s far away from Akko, she didn’t try to help but chuckle at how insanely easy it was to get Akko on her side. Akko’s trust was practically placed into her palms since the moment they met. 

Akko, on the other hand,  _ had lots to think about on her way back to her dorm. _

The warm lights were starting to come on across all of the academy and illuminated the corridors as night slowly curtained over the painted sky of many sunset colors. The clicking of dorm doors could be heard echoing throughout the halls and there was a long line near the shower stalls.  _ Good thing she showered this morning.  _

Students were hanging around in groups, sprinkled throughout the walkways on the walk to her room. When she passes by one of the grand windows, she can see team Violet and team Peach playing soccer in the field, along with the faint sound of their excitement and soft ‘ _ boom’  _ sound each time they hit the ball. They’d be coming in soon since it was getting late, and curfew was three and a half hours away. 

Akko softly clicks the door open to their room and she finds Lotte working on some homework at the desk and Sucy drying her hair off with a towel. The ceiling fan was going and the breeze was nice. She hadn’t realized how clammy it was in the hallway since sweating was a normal occurrence during any of her interactions with a certain woman. 

“Did you guys already shower?” 

“Yep.”

“Yeah.” They both say idly. But Akko doesn’t pay much attention to their replies as she digs around for something in her suitcase. She comes out with something black and frilly around the edges and throws it over her shoulder before searching for something else. 

The sound of the Japanese girl rummaging in her bag distracts Lotte from her studies and she looks over her shoulder to correctly identify what Akko may have been up to. Sucy had already put on her nightcap and was climbing into bed with a book. 

“What are you doing, Akko?” 

It takes her a little to respond, but when she finishes zipping her suitcase back up, she sees that Akko appears to be holding a pair of shoes and a few other garments. “O-Oh, well, um… I sort of had some plans for the night!” 

Lotte’s curiosity fades to confusion. “But we’re supposed to be studying for the exam tomorrow. Remember?” 

Akko’s eyes go a bit wide when the memory comes back to her.  _ She had completely forgotten. Nothing new.  _

“I guess that totally slipped my mind.  _ Heheh… _ ” 

Lotte gives her an unconvinced glare. 

“But I’ll be back before curfew to get that taken care of!  _ I promise _ .” She says, determined.

“... _ Alright.  _ Well, have a good time, I  _ guess… _ ” 

“Thanks Lotte! See you, Sucy! I’ll see you guys later, okay? I’m headed to the dressing room, then to town!” 

“Okay…”

The door closes again, and she doesn’t forget the bag underneath her pillow.

When it clicks closed, Sucy and Lotte exchange mundane glances. 

“I wonder where she’s off to. Maybe to meet up with Andrew or something?” Lotte ponders, looking over in Sucy’s direction for her opinion on the matter.

“Let’s be honest. We all know who she’s going to meet up with.” Came Sucy’s monotone reply. 

“... _ Huh _ ?”


	8. Chapter 8

Akko usually gets dressed in their room, but she felt compelled to use the dressing room at least once during her stay here. It takes her a bit to find it, but she triumphs and leaves the changing room in a black dress that stopped right above her knees. It was simple with black frills at the bottom and on the sleeves. There were buttons on the collar and it almost looked like a nightgown. It wasn’t though, and Akko had worn this once before to her cousin’s birthday party back in Japan when she was fourteen. It brought back memories…

She also wears casual black slips with white socks and she decided to let her little ponytail loose for the night. The red rubber band stays on her wrist. She draped her robe over herself to prevent arousing any suspicion as she walked back the way she came down the halls.

Much to Akko’s surprise, Croix actually showed up. She didn’t wear anything special like she had said, but she was glad that she even showed up at all, so it was more than good enough. They traveled through the leyline to Glastonbury on top of two of Croix’s sorcery units. It offered much more support than the stick of a broom did, but the brunette was still trying her best to get used to it. 

Once they arrive, Akko hops off of the flying-roomba like invention of her Professor and smooths down her dress. “Oh yeah! We’re finally here!” 

Croix doesn’t understand all the hype over plain old Glastonbury, but she goes with it anyway. Her arms are crossed and she unamusedly stands next to Akko. “So what is it you wanted to show me?”

Akko suddenly remembers, cheeks reddening along with a sparkle in her eye. “T-That’s right! Um… but, it’s a surprise, okay Professor? So can you  _ just… _ ” she pushes up on her tippy toes and reaches up toward her face. Before she had time to react, Akko had already lightly brushed her hand over her eyes, closing them. “Keep them closed for me?” She asks sweetly because she knows she’s asking for a lot.

And Croix thinks it’s stupid. She thinks it’s stupid that she even agreed to meet Akko any place at all. But her eyes are closed now, so she guesses she’ll keep them closed. She sighs. “Alright…”

She hears Akko hum delightedly before feeling soft hands take her hands into their own. “I-I’ll lead you,  _ okay _ ? Just follow me!” 

And so they start walking. It’s calm and quiet for the most part. With her eyes closed, Croix can feel the empty wind of folks passing by them as they walk along the sidewalk. There were a few cars coming through the Main Street and they were rather noisy in the relatively quiet shopping district. She could hear some obnoxious pop music flowing out of the speakers each time they passed by a shop, and the warmth of Akko’s hands in her, softly tugging her towards their destination. 

This was rather embarrassing for her, but there was no one around who knew them personally — so she tries to let go of it for the most part. She keeps finding herself on the brink of opening her eyes and pulling her hands away, but if this would make Akko trust her  _ that much more,  _ then it was a small price to pay for the plans that she had for the world. These were just minor setbacks that the standard plan was inevitably prone to, as do all plans like these.

After all, Akko was completely useless to Croix and her endeavors now. Her only interest in the girl previously lay in her possession of Claiomh Solais. It was too laughably easy to get it. But now that she had it…

She felt compelled to continue her unscrupulous torture to Chariot. She knew how important Akko was to her, and taking her away and changing the light in which the girl viewed her role-model-in-disguise was all the more satisfying. 

But it just felt like such a waste after all of those months of studying the Japanese girl all to just… throw her away afterwards,  _ doesn’t it? _

It was pointless, but just some extra fun along the way.

At some point though, she was going to have to put an end to this. Akko was just some girl that Croix found extremely enigmatic, despite her simplicity. It was strange in a way, and she was drawn into her overly ambitious personality, even if the situation did seem hopeless. She was so, terribly stupid and it was all amusing to watch. The Shiny Rod had some extremely blind judgment, seeing as to how it chose  _ Chariot,  _ who used its invaluable, precious magic to entertain gullible twelve year olds and their bored parents.

Then it chooses Akko, who doesn’t even come close to comprehending the mere power that she possesses in her very hands. Perhaps that’s why it was so incredibly easy to get a hold of, despite her anticipation during those months while she studied Akko that it would be a challenge. 

She couldn’t help but let it go on for longer...

“ _ We’re here!  _ You can open your eyes now,”

Croix nearly crashes into Akko, lost in her thoughts. She’s able to stop herself in enough time, and she opens her eyes.

She first sees Akko. Her arms gesture up to the building that they were standing in front of in a dramatic way, like she was presenting the cure for all sickness. 

“ _ Ta-da _ !”

It’s a restaurant. The building looks average. Boring even. But Akko is extremely excited about it for some reason so she tries seeing past the unappealing impression that she already had of this place.

She isn’t amused, but Akko had grabbed her hand again and pulled her along. Upon further inspection, it appeared to be some kind of Asian restaurant. The design and theme of the place was sophisticated and intricate like that of many of her share of Japanese or Chinese restaurants she’s been to. 

There’s a lot of people in here and Croix suddenly feels guilty that she didn’t wear something less revealing than that of her signature one. At least Akko looked good enough in her dress. 

They eventually get a table and just by looking at the menu, she can tell that they’re at a Japanese cuisine. She looks up at Akko who was already looking up at her expectantly.

“ _ S—So _ ? What do you think?” 

“I think these prices are unreasonably high…” 

Her eyes light up again, seemingly remembering something. “O-Oh yeah! So about that,” 

Then she holds up a little bag. “Dinner is on me!” She says proudly, taking out some of the money and holding it out like a fan. She fans herself, her face flushing when she notices Croix’s unamusement. She looks away, ashamed. Frowning, she says hesitantly, “...I—I’ve been saving up for today! I finally have enough for the both of us to order one thing and… maybe the cheapest dessert option that they have?  _ O—Or _ … we can share, maybe?” 

Croix blinks, watching the young witch carefully. She seems so excited, so proud of herself. She’s so… pathetic. Stupid. Incompetent. 

_ What does Chariot see in her? _

Akko smiles, laughing nervously. She feels hot under her intense gaze. 

Croix opens her mouth to say something, but just then, Akko inevitably drops the money and it scatters all over the ground. She panics, glancing with mortification at her professor. 

She moves to pick up the money, her bag falling to the ground and coins clatter noisily against the tile, catching the attention of other diners. Akko yelps, crawling around on the floor to gather it all up when the waiter comes. Croix can only watch in fascination at how unbelievable this is. 

“My bad,” she laughs anxiously, looking up to smile apologetically at Croix, absentmindedly shoving her money back into the bag. 

Eventually though, they manage to order and everything is calm again. Croix doesn’t order much besides a cup of matcha despite not wanting to order anything at all. But Akko insisted that she got at least  _ something,  _ so this was that something.

Akko on the other hand, got some kind of pink smoothie with bobas at the bottom along with a small bowl of traditional Japanese yakisoba.

She ate like it was her first meal in a month. This was much better than those frozen french fries and chicken strips that they were serving at dinner today. It was fascinating how money could get you great things. She almost wondered if bad food at schools was just all part of the experience. The only good thing that they serve at Luna Nova is the water. 

They had a small conversation going on too, so it hadn’t been all strange noises from Akko while she ate. 

“So… what inspired you to become a Professor at Luna Nova?” she asks suddenly, and it took her a bit to respond to this one as easily as she did all of the other questions, seeing as to how the sheer purpose of her working there was to obtain information about Claiomh Solais and find a way to ruin Chariot’s life as effectively as possible. 

“I suppose my love for magic and my wish for it to keep evolving would be the reason for that,” she says easily after a while.

Akko thinks, and it does make sense. “So is that what inspired you to make all those inventions of yours?” 

_ No _ . “Mhm.” 

Akko gets stars in her eyes. Then her mouth is full again. “Thash sho  _ cool!”  _

“I wish I was as smart as  _ you _ , Professor Croix! How did you even learn to do all of that, anyways?”

She laughs softly, “I went to a special college for it. Though, now that I think of it, I was at the top of my class…” 

“No doubt about it! You’re going to change the world with your inventions,” she says supportively, smiling rashly. “And you’re so smart, a- _ and  _ you’re talented… a-and you’re pretty, too! I just know you’ll be famous one day. Don’t forget me when you are,  _ okay _ ?” and now her cheeks are red. 

Croix finds herself speechless.

“... _ Thank you.  _ I could never forget you, Akko.” 

Breaking eye contact with the plate, Akko timidly glances up at her, only to find Croix smiling softly at her. Gulping her dinner and holding back a slight blush, she wipes her mouth off any traces of food and holds back any niggles in her mind of the feeling that she usually gets when she’s with Croix. She thinks she can manage to put it away. Just this one time.

“And what about you? What inspired you to attend Luna Nova?” Is Croix’s next question. She already knows the answer, the extent, and the irony of it all. But she still asks to make Akko think that she cares. Akko giggles excitedly, sitting up in her chair proudly. 

“ _ To be like Shiny Chariot!”  _

Feigning surprise, Croix tilts her head to the side slightly. “Is that so?”

“Hehe… yep! One day, I hope to meet her and return the Shiny Rod! I sometimes feel bad that she may be looking for it and I’ve had it all this time, ...b-but that’ll all change soon! _ I’m so close _ ! I can feel it!”

Oh, Akko. 

_ Sweet, naive, stupid little Akko.  _

At this point, Akko is beaming. Croix finds it endearing, in a way. 

How clueless she is. And how she knows the answers to her most burning questions. But she won’t burst her bubble.

_ Not yet, anyway.  _

“Believe me. You’ll meet her very soon.” she decides to say.

And it wasn’t exactly a lie. 

“Y-You really think so?...”

She gets a light smile. “ _ Of course.” _

Akko shakes with happiness with bright stars in her eyes. It’s a shame how worked up she gets over Chariot. She couldn’t help but feel a little bad for when she does learn the truth. About the dream fuel spirit and the true purpose of the Shiny Rod. 

About Ursula. 

About being lied to. 

_ By her, and Chariot... _

And she loathes the feeling of guilt that she gets upon the thought. Akko wasn’t important. She was just the middleman to help her execute her big plans. She had been waiting for this since they were young. She can’t back down all because Akko was a sweet girl who doesn’t deserve the bad luck that she unknowingly is wound up in.

She  _ isn’t _ the chosen one. 

She  _ isn’t _ special.

Woodward just needed someone to execute the necessary steps to release the Grand Triskellion, and it just  _ happened  _ to choose Akko for the job. It didn’t make her special or anything.

But …  _ if it didn’t make her special, then why did Croix wish it were her that was chosen so badly?  _

Why was she in on this complex revenge mission if she wasn’t so upset that Claiomh Solais chose Chariot instead of herself all those years ago?...

Why did she envy this girl so much that she got a strange satisfaction out of misleading her with the precious trust that she was given? Why did she waste time on pointless things like this outing with Akko when she could be further developing her plan in her laboratory? Why- 

“Professor Croix, i-is everything alright?” Akko asks, and the woman is admittedly thankful that her thoughts had been interrupted. An adorable, clueless face of concern clouded the brunette’s expression and Croix hadn’t realized that she allowed her thoughts to have such an influence on her facial expression. 

She inhales suddenly, changing the odd tension back to business. “Everything’s quite alright. Why don’t we get going, Akko? I should get you back to Luna Nova before it closes.” 

And now Akko’s face appears confused and mildly disappointed. Croix wonders if that’s anything like what her face will look like when she learns the truth about everything… 

“ _ Oh… _ a-already? Okay. Umm,  _ y-yeah _ . We should get going…” she reluctantly agrees, looking off to the side. 

So they get everything cleaned up. Akko leaves an impressive tip for the lovely young man who was their waiter, just because she can. They head out and once they get outside, Akko decides to say something about how distant Croix suddenly is. 

“Are you sure something isn’t the matter, Professor?  _ Y-You can talk to me about it, if that helps, …”  _ Is her timid approach. She holds her hands behind her back, looking up at her through big, crimson eyes and a concerned little frown. 

And Croix can only sigh. She turns to face the girl, smiling and putting on a front that gave the impression that she wasn’t feeling guilt pool in her stomach at all. Carefully, she reaches a hand out to cup Akko’s cheek. She could have predicted the immediate reddening of the girl’s cheeks as she leans into the soft touch, albeit still worried and confused.

Professor Croix smiles dimly. “I’m alright.  _ I promise.” _

It’s enough for Akko. She gets a confident smile of her own and laughs in relief. “Good to hear!” 

And once they get to the leyline terminal, Akko climbs onto her sorcery unit before Croix does. Just as she’s about to get on, Akko manages to fly hers over to her Professor before interrupting. 

“P-Professor! Do you have a second? _ ,” _ is all she says in between playful giggles, holding her arms out for wobbly balance on top of the small flying-circle device that her favorite teacher had invented.

So she turns to see what Akko is on about and before she knew it, she was trapped in the arms of the Japanese witch. There was a significant height difference between the two, but she lifts herself atop the sorcery unit so that they’re about the same height now.

Smiling with red cheeks, she cradled her head on her teacher’s shoulder. Croix froze, leaving her hands dangling useless at her sides. She’d never been held like this. Not by her mother, not by her father, and certainly not by Chariot. Not with this much passion, she hadn’t.

But then again, she had never exposed her vulnerability before. Not even a little.

Would Akko use her weakness against her? 

Hugging. A physical attack she wasn’t expecting and would’ve never welcomed. This attack on her desire for admiration and her constant, unmet need for validation was a battle she’d lose.  _ She knew she would, deep down. _

She pulled back to shove the girl away, but when she actually went to do it, it ended up being very gentle and an uncharacteristic, tender expression crossed her face. An expression Akko had never seen on her Modern Magic Professor. She couldn’t tell, but if Croix had to guess, she’d say that she looked as lost as she felt. 

_ Just as clueless and in need of guidance too. _

But it was all too revealing. Too confronting. 

She broke free from Akko’s embrace. She was a strong warrior. Fierce, and knowledgeable in the future of magic, and unafraid of  _ anything _ . 

Yet, her heart pounded out of control like it hadn’t in a long time. 

“ _ Thank you… f _ -for everything,” Akko says sweetly, meeting her gaze shyly.

“Akko… I’ve done nothing for you.  _ Why are you thanking me?”  _ She responds with more aggression than she had meant to. She was too upset, confused, and guilty to understand why anyone could thank her for anything right now. That would be the last thing she’d tell her, if only she knew what she was really about. 

So maybe that’s why that night, Croix had gone to bed strangely thinking of what things would be like if she stopped lying to Akko. If she stopped trying to manipulate her. It was a nice thought, but she was already too far in to turn back. Too far to change her mind about something she had been sure of for as long as she could remember. 

Akko on the other hand, went to bed full of glee. Her cheeks were rosy and she was more giddy than usual from the events of how the evening played out. She felt that she and Croix had gotten closer than ever, and that was her ultimate goal! Before heading to her dorm, she changed into her comfortable plain white t-shirt and red shirts to wear to bed. When she opens the door, the lights are off and Lotte and Sucy were fast asleep. It wasn’t that long after curfew, but only about thirty minutes when she had fully gotten under the covers. 

Either way, she was content — and nothing could bring her down. As she dozed off to dreamland, she wondered what adventures Luna Nova had in store for her for tomorrow. And how would she keep her developing feelings for Professor Croix under wraps?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d really appreciate a comment! It lets me know what you guys are thinking and if I could even continue this fic.


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